UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Beyond the Barrier: The Resilience of Connecting People to Place(2022) Resnick, Eric; Ezban, Michael; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Atlantic City, New Jersey is globally cited as one of the most vulnerable cities to the effects of climate change and sea level rise, representing the socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological threats that all coastal communities will face within the next half-century. 2060 projections indicate that Atlantic City will experience up to 155+ flood events per year and 50% of the city could be uninhabitable. In leveraging the city’s coastal location, current institutions, and historic tourism-based infrastructure, the Resilient Transect becomes a framework for adaptation and growth, engaging the public and attracting an international cohort of researchers, designers, and policymakers to test and implement globally applicable and revolutionary strategies for coastal resilience. The iconic Atlantic City Boardwalk is abstracted as a beach-to-bay datum to catalyze adaptation, support, research, and participation along the transect, adaptable to environmental change and socioeconomic needs within and beyond Atlantic City.Item UNDERSTANDING MANAGED RETREAT THROUGH A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER LENS: A CASE STUDY ON THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND(2021) Miralles, Andrea Maria; Paolisso, Michael J.; Alcañiz, Isabella; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Due to concerns about increasing sea levels and climate displacement, there has been a growing interest in the adaptation option of managed retreat. In managed retreat, shorelines move inland acting as a natural buffer to coastal climate impacts, while coastal communities move to higher ground through voluntary home buyouts. Managed retreat is also highly controversial, as it is poorly understood and presents significant challenges to equity. In order to address these issues, this thesis research provides a multi-stakeholder analysis on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland focused on understandings and trust in managed retreat processes. Key findings from this research are that communities, government and non-governmental organizations have different understandings of managed retreat, that retreat discussions need to occur at official levels now, that equity must be a central component of planning, that trust is necessary for successful retreat and that any future retreat must emphasize community agency and collaboration.Item DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM BEACH PROFILES: FORCES OF OFFSHORE SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN MARYLAND’S CHESAPEAKE BAY(2020) Bell, Lynda Jean; Sanford, Lawrence P.; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)To examine the impact of shoreline erosion on the near shore environment, it is necessary to estimate the quantity and quality of yearly sediment mass that is likely to be added by erosion. Data were collected in 2008 at ten sites along the Maryland shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay and compared to both empirical and theoretical models of offshore profiles. The data collected at each site included a series of three-dimensional bathymetric profiles from offshore transects run at each site, as well as a series of sediment core data that were acquired along each transect. Relationships between grain size, beach type, sediment composition, and strength of eroding sediments were also explored. The results showed that sands dominated offshore surficial sediments at most locations, even though the source sediments were mixtures of sands and muds. The observed offshore profiles were consistent with expectation from ocean beach profile paradigms, with the exception that the steepness proportionality factor was not related to sediment grain size. An adjusted form of the classic Bruun relationship for predicting shoreline retreat was in approximate agreement with long-term observations.Item SINK OR SWIM: A CONVERSATION ON LIFE IN AN INUNDATED CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED(2020) Townsend, Deane Lowell; Eisenbach, Ronit; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Historic Chestertown, Maryland, is one of the oldest existing communities in the state of Maryland. Strategically situated along the Chester River, this town—like many others on the Delmarva Peninsula—is at risk to external forces of climate change and sea level rise which threaten to inundate and displace the town. Facing an uncertain future due to climate change and other socio-economic factors, Chestertown possesses the opportunity of challenging the status quo and raises the question can the concept of community be reimagined to address the severity of climate change and sea level rise while fostering a positive relationship to the environment? Observations to historic patterns of settlement, resilient design strategies, and building construction methodologies have been analyzed and applied to help protect the historic town while fostering an environmentally conscious community model. This model serves as a critique to previous settlements and current development proposals for the town, challenging the need to prioritize natural ecology over the built environment.Item EFFECTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON TIDAL FRESHWATER, OLIGOHALINE, AND BRACKISH MARSHES: ACCRETION, NUTRIENT BURIAL, AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES(2019) Allen, Jenny; Baldwin, Andrew H; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Tidal wetlands provide critically important ecosystem services such as storm surge and flood attenuation, pollution retention and transformation, and carbon sequestration. The ability of tidal wetlands to maintain surface elevation under accelerated sea level rise is critical for their persistence. Saltwater intrusion can further threaten tidal freshwater marshes by decreasing primary production and organic matter accumulation as well as cause shifts in microbial pathways, leading to increases in organic matter decomposition and an overall decrease in marsh elevation. The objectives of this research were to examine accretion dynamics across the estuarine gradient of the Nanticoke River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, and determine the relative contribution of organic and inorganic matter to accretion in the marshes; determine the accumulation rates of C, N, and P across the estuarine gradient; and examine the effects of sulfate intrusion on biogeochemical transformations and marsh surface elevation in tidal freshwater marsh soil. Results of the collective studies suggest that the mechanisms controlling accretion dynamics and nutrient accumulation are complex and are likely driven by site-specific factors rather than estuary-wide factors. Accretion rates and nutrient accumulation rates were highly variable across the estuarine gradient, but were largely dependent on both organic matter accumulation and inorganic sedimentation. Only 8 out of the 15 subsites had accretion rates higher than relative sea level rise for the area, with the lowest rates of accretion found in the oligohaline marshes. Organic matter accumulation is especially important in marshes with low mineral sediment supply, particularly mid-estuarine oligohaline marshes, but may not be enough to help keep these marshes above relative sea level. The tidal marshes along the Nanticoke River removed approximately 15% and 9% of the total N and P load entering the system, but their ability to continue to remove nutrients may be compromised due to rising sea levels. Shifts in microbial pathways and increases in organic matter decomposition due to saltwater intrusion further threaten the ability of these marshes to keep pace with sea level rise, potentially resulting in the loss of an extremely valuable ecosystem.Item Jakarta Underwater: Rising Seas as Opportunity(2019) Gilmartin, Lauren Michelle; Eisenbach, Ronit; Hendricks, Marccus; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)According to the UN, by 2100 nearly 5.25 billion people will live in coastal megacities in the global south where infrastructure, energy production, and water management has not kept pace with rapid urbanization. It is projected that this mass global migration will occur in Asian and African cities that also have the highest risk of vulnerability to climate change effects. The most concerning of these is sea level rise that could displace billions of people and submerge entire cities. This global transformation threatens massive humanitarian crises, ecological degradation, destruction of historical and cultural treasures, and the global economy. This thesis proposes a solution that integrates city development, coastal infrastructure, and public resources by merging architectural innovations and planning to create a protected megacity with a high quality of life and resiliency. These solutions will ease the effects of sea level rise and offer a promise of a better future for the planet -- ultimately creating a net positive solution for coastal megacities of the future.Item A Plan for Salisbury, MD: Urban Design Transformations in Response to Sea Level Rise(2015) Moreno-Holt, Daniel Jack; Kelly, Brian; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis proposes a master plan for Salisbury, MD that presents solutions to the challenges faced by small towns along tidal waterways. Salisbury’s challenges include flooding and sea level rise, poorly defined arteries framing downtown and disconnecting neighborhoods, and a lack of vibrant, mixed use development. These issues are common to small towns and present opportunities for transformative design.Item Effects of Sea Level Rise on Tidal Marshes(2014) Bryan, Jennifer; Harris, Lora; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There is growing concern regarding the potentially negative impacts of sea level rise (SLR) on tidal wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In Chapter one, I investigate the phenotypic plasticity and biomechanical properties of Zizania aquatica under experimental inundation treatments. At lower elevations and higher inundation designed to simulate SLR, Zizania aquatica did indeed respond with phenotypic changes such as increased height and stem thickness, and decreased stem density, areal aboveground biomass, and modulus of elasticity. In Chapter two, I investigate the nitrogen removal role of Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands under current and simulated long-term SLR. I also examine nitrogen removal at smaller scales in Maryland, comparing restoration goals for nitrogen loading reductions with the loss of nitrogen removal services expected by 2025. Tidal wetlands are expected to decrease in the Bay and Maryland and associated loss of nitrogen removal services may affect attainment of restoration goals.